Thermal energy

For a bonus question my physics teacher asked if anyone knew why we use the letter "Q" in terms of heat. If anyone can explain the origin of why we use Q for the symbol your response would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I have heard it referred to as "quantity of heat", but please don't take my word for it. I'm not sure why either. Your teacher just wants you to learn something for yourself...it would be interesting to look it up, although I realise that's not something easy to search for either in literature or online. What do you google? "Why is heat given the symbol Q?" Heh...best of luck. I'm sure some other people here will have some insights.